Thermoelectric generator pulls energy from room temperature heat

Scientists in Japan have developed a new organic device that can harvest energy from heat. Unlike other thermoelectric generators, this one works at room temperature without a heat gradient.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, TechnologyTags: Energy, Ther… Continue reading Thermoelectric generator pulls energy from room temperature heat

Super-strong coffee-reinforced concrete gets real-world test

Last year, researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, found that replacing up to 15% of the sand ordinarily used in concrete with waste coffee grounds made it 30% stronger. It’s a case of killing two birds with one coffee bean: the produ… Continue reading Super-strong coffee-reinforced concrete gets real-world test

Bumpy solar cells could harvest up to 66% more energy

Solar cell efficiency may get a bump from bumps. New research suggests that building tiny domes into the surface of organic solar cells could boost their efficiency by up to two-thirds, while capturing light from a wider angle.Continue ReadingCategory:… Continue reading Bumpy solar cells could harvest up to 66% more energy

Natural superhero fungi boosts crop yields by 40%

In what is a hugely promising sign for securing and boosting food production, a large-scale field study has demonstrated how treating farmland soil with mycorrhizal fungi can improve crop yields of maize by 40%, without the use of any additional fertil… Continue reading Natural superhero fungi boosts crop yields by 40%

Webb spots galactic smoke signals from across the universe

The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted complex organic molecules, which usually form in smoke and smog, in the very distant universe. With help from a galactic gravitational anomaly, the telescope could see the molecules from more than 12 billion l… Continue reading Webb spots galactic smoke signals from across the universe

Semi-transparent solar cells boost growth of greenhouse plants

Solar farms and conventional agriculture are competing for land, and that conflict will likely only get worse as our need for both grows. Scientists at UCLA have now tested a way to combine the two by placing semi-transparent solar cells on the glass r… Continue reading Semi-transparent solar cells boost growth of greenhouse plants

Hackaday Links: December 26, 2021

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At the time of this writing, the James Webb Space Telescope was perched upon its ride to space, ready for its much-delayed launch from the ESA spaceport in French Guiana. …read more Continue reading Hackaday Links: December 26, 2021

2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honors discoverers of new catalyst class

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Benjamin List and David MacMillan, for their work in developing a new class of catalyst in 2000. The technique is based on small organic molecules and has been instrumental in pharmaceutical researc… Continue reading 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honors discoverers of new catalyst class